Technics EAH-AZ80 - An Overlooked Gem?

[@lejae75]

These are the best buds i ever bought, but you did forget to mention that they have a FIND ME and auto wind noise cancelation. i do a lot of walking in a windy area, they will automatically cut out the wind noise...

[@Breaky717]

AZ80 is one of the best audio gear, i've ever bought. The pure sound quality without ANC and enabled 990 kbps LDAC is mindblowing!😊

[@RTINGScomAudio]

Glad you're enjoying them! They're a great pair of buds for sure 😄

[@Breaky717]

Plus information: Technics is just brand name, and Panasonic is the manufacturer. :)

[@Jefafa73]

Great review! One thing not mentioned for these buds is you can remap EVERY touch input. Next track is 3 taps? Sure! Previous just 1 tap? Why not! Plus, distinct controls for phone calls. Meaning double tap for phone calls is specific to phone calls, even if that same input is, let's say, play/pause for audio. For all earbuds, I would suggest using a third party app that has more eq bands if you really want to fine tune the sound. I personally start by adjusting to the rtings "flat", then play around until the sound suits me.

[@nicholaskohs5727]

Doing awesome on these reviews Vanessa, glad to see rtings videos back in full force!

[@RTINGScomAudio]

Thank you! More to come! 😄

[@shiny5961]

Great review! But can you do something about the color correction for the video and the dust on the buds?

[@cheweh842]

I first noticed the EAH-AZ80 earbuds for the 3-device BT multipoint. I think the BT spec allows for many more devices than that but it's hard for manufacturers because of the small signals and interference problems and are usually limited to 2--so I'd like a thorough look at how seamless device handoff really is in practice. I also have found that earbuds with dongle connectivity work much better than with BT. The common issues I see that WOULD be dealbreakers if I knew beforehand, and I don't see tested for, are: 1. Time to reconnect to my phone (on other multipoint earbuds of mine the startup connection to my phone is not automatic at all--I have to go into BT settings and tap on the buds) 2. Initial audio cutoff from silence -> play. I have to use a USB dongle to connect earbuds to my PC, and no matter which I use, from Sennheiser or Creative or Haisen Keji, there is a half second or so of audio that is missed at the start of any song or video played, when started from silence--so I've used a quiet ultrasound audio file playing on loop as a workaround. Notably, earbuds that come with their own dongle do NOT have this problem. 3. Multipoint device handoff issues--what happens when your phone rings? How do the earbuds handle the incoming call? Can the PC or phone steal focus from the other even though nothing is playing? This is an issue when you have a video paused on one device and try to use the other. Does every new email or notification pause or silence whatever you were doing on the other device? Going forward my new minimum standards for earbuds are: come with a USB dongle (or otherwise can prove they have low latency and no audio cutoff), at least 10 hours continuous battery life, at least 2 device BT multipoint, and LC3 or aptX Adaptive (low latency) codec support. There are no earbuds that meet all these specs that I know of yet. The closest are the Sony Inzone buds but they don't have true multipoint support (you can hold both buds for three seconds to switch between using the dongle and BT--this actually avoids most multipoint handoff problems). They are very comfortable and my daily drivers now, though.

[@haonanzhang6759]

Just received it and have to say this tws reminds me of sony's xm3 in terms of design choices, but arguably much polished. Sound quality is still a priority just like the xm3 at the cost of a larger size, but the general packaging & software ux design has been much improved to be on par with every other 3rd party tws manufacturers out there.

[@redcolourbenzene7762]

Great review!

[@RTINGScomAudio]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it! 😄

[@JL-rv1ls]

In my case I bought the Technics AZ80 and the Denon Perl Pro, because I wanted the best in sound and after a lot of research and reviewing reviews, these were the best and I opted for both, without a doubt the Technics have a great sound and the super bass wow function, you literally feel that punch in your ears but this at least happened to me every now and then as time went by and you have to take them off because it becomes a little annoying, the build quality is undoubtedly better than the Denon, they are noticed to be of higher quality, but the Denon's function of auditory calibration Masimo AAT, makes all the difference in the sound when it is adapted to your ears, you hear the difference, there is more musical separation and well the bass is forceful so they are closer to what I was looking for in audio quality, perhaps only the detail of the ergonomics of the headphones when taking them out of the case is something that is somewhat lolesto in the Denon but apart from that without a doubt I prefer them, which is a shame because I really wanted to stay with the Technics, but there is definitely a difference in sound and the Denon are worth it.

[@siy01]

The Denons do have better separation, but I couldn't get them to sound as rich as the Tecnics no matter how I tweaked the sound profile or EQ. They both sound excellent, bass on the Tecnics is tighter but there's barely anything in it. Style and design the Tecnics are hands down the better of the two, although the wingtip on the Denons does keep them in place longer.

[@Gaijin101]

3device multipoint is perfect!

[@AndrewYouTubehandle]

Can't you just change the az80 tips for foam tips?

[@davidyee361]

Check out AZ60M2. Its cheaper than AZ80. I like its value. Has 7 ear tips and supports up to 3 multipoint devices just like AZ80.

[@mauriziomauricone]

You got buff arm and hands LOL

[@daddyganesh8958]

cleanest review

[@RTINGScomAudio]

Glad you enjoyed it! 😄

[@NightlyHigh]

I'd like to see a review with earbuds with physical, clickable button. These touch sensitive areas are absolutely worthless in colder environments, or if you just need to wear a beanie.

[@zadamone]

I recommend for you the Jabra Elite 8 Active. It has a silicone cover, and the button clicks nicely under it. The sound quality and fit is also excellent.